Variable weight shot put assembly

ABSTRACT

An assembly and method for a variable weight shot put assembly. The assembly maintains its size while its total weight can be altered by the user as the user trains. The assembly includes a sphere, the shot put, which splits into at least two portions. Slugs are placed in various inner cavities located within the sphere. Slugs have different set weights and weights are placed in the inner cavities so that the sphere maintains its original center of gravity.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present application relates to a shot put, and more particularly to a variable weight shot put assembly.

2. Description of Related Art

The desire to train and prepare for a sporting competition, specifically the shot put, has been held by many people for ages. Shot put competitions started in the middle ages with competitors hurling cannon balls for distance. Current competitions have a set weight depending on the competitor's gender and age. A shot put ranges in weight from 4.4 lbs. for male and females age eight and under up to 16 lbs. for males and 8.8 lbs. for females competing in the Olympics. The weight of the shot put begins to decrease after males and females turn 50 years of age. From before the age of 8 past the age of 80, Males have approximately seven different set weights for the shot put and females have approximately 4 different set weights for the shot put. Shot puts also range in size, depending on the weight, from 80-90 mm to 110-130 mm in diameter.

Currently, in order for a new competitor to train to compete in the shot put, the competitor must buy shot puts of different weights and sizes. This gets to be expensive, takes up additional space, and training can be slowed by the use of smaller, lighter shot puts during the initial phase or when working on technique.

Although strides have been made to make training for the shot put cheaper, easier, and more effective, considerable short comings remain. It is desirable for new and existing competitors to be able to use one shot put assembly, of the proper size, where the competitor can alter the weight without changing the shot put size.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the application itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a variable weight shot put assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a matting surface of a top portion of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a matting surface of a base portion of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the alternative embodiment of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of the alternative embodiment of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a sectional side view of the alternative embodiment of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart for the use of the variable weight shot put assembly of FIG. 1.

While the assembly and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Illustrative embodiments of the preferred embodiment are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the assembly are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the assembly, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the assembly described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.

The assembly and method in accordance with the present application overcomes one or more of the above-discussed problems commonly associated with training for shot put competitions. In particular, the assembly is configured to provide a shot put in which users can alter the shot put weight without changing the shot puts size or purchasing additional shot puts. These and other unique features of the assembly are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The assembly and method will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the assembly may be presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless otherwise described.

The assembly and method of the present application is illustrated in the associated drawings. The assembly includes a sphere with at least one interior cavity. The interior cavity is accessed by separating the sphere into a base portion and a top portion. At least one slug is inserted into the interior cavity. The base portion and the top portion are brought together and secured to form the sphere with additional weight. Additional features and functions of the device are illustrated and discussed below.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements in form and function throughout the several views. FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a variable weight shot put assembly 101 of the present application. In FIG. 1, Sphere 103 is configured to selectively separate into at least two portions, a top portion 105 and a base portion 107 along a mating surface 113. At least one portion, either top portion 105 or base portion 107, will encompass at least half of sphere 103 exterior surface; while the other portion, either base portion 107 or top portion 105 will encompass half or less of the volume of sphere 103.

Referring now also to FIGS. 2-4, a sectional side of variable weight shot put assembly 101 and a plan view of the matting surface 113 of top portion 105 and of base portion 107, respectively, are illustrated. Sphere 103 is also configured with at least one internal cavity 109 a. Each internal cavity 109 a has an opening in mating surface 113. It is understood that sphere 103 may be configured with internal cavity 109 a wholly in a top portion 105 or in a base portion 107, or, as shown in the current assembly, divided between top portion 105 and base portion 107. In which case, the top portion 105 has an internal cavity 109 a and the base portion 107 has an internal cavity 109 b. It is understood that internal cavity 109 b is similar in form and function to internal cavity 109 a. Further, the current embodiment illustrates multiples of internal cavity 109 a and multiples of internal cavity 109 b. Internal cavity 109 a and internal cavity 109 b are aligned with each other when sphere 103 is secured. It is understood that sphere 103 can be figured such that internal cavity 109 a and internal cavity 109 b are not aligned when sphere 103 is secured.

When sphere 103 is separated, mating surface 113 also splits and becomes mating surface 113 a on the top portion 105 and mating surface 113 b on base portion 107. Mating surfaces 113 a and 113 b are not planer and interlock with each other to minimize slippage between top portion 105 and base portion 107 when sphere 103 is secured. Mating surfaces 113 a and 113 b are configured to prevent the top portion 105 and base 107 from translating apart across the plane defined by mating surface 113 (i.e. side to side). It is understood that at least a portion of mating surface 113 a and mating surface 113 b will be in communication with each other when sphere 103 is secured

Internal cavity 109 a and internal cavity 109 b are each configured to house a slug 111. Slug 111 is a weight that is located within either or both of internal cavity 109 a or internal cavity 109 b. It is understood that slug 111 is interchangeable and may be swapped out with similar slugs of various weights. Each slug used within sphere 103 may be formed from different materials so as to vary its weight while maintaining similar sizing. Slug 111 may also be formed by filling a hollow cylinder, of a set size, with some type of weight; lead pellets, for example. The different weights of slug 111 are useable in assembly 101 to increase and decrease the total weight of the shot put assembly 101. Internal cavities 109 a and 109 b can each hold a separate/independent slug 111, or, as shown in the current embodiment, internal cavities 109 a and 109 b can each hold a portion of the same slug 111 when the sphere 103 is secured.

It is the purpose of slug 111 to allow a user (i.e. athlete) to purchase one training shot put, like assembly 101, and adjust the weight of the shot put without changing the size of the shot put. Altering the size of the shot put affects the feel and weight of the shot put. It also affects how the shot put feels when being thrown. Additionally slug 111 prevents the spinning of top portion 105 and base portion 107 along mating surface 113 when extending through both internal cavities 109 a and 109 b. As noted, slug 111 may be configured to prevent rotation of top portion 105 and bottom portion 107 relative to one another along mating surface 113. This may also be achieve by adjusting the contour of mating surface 113 to include interlocking features for rotation prevention.

Top portion 105 has a tab 115 a and bottom portion 107 has a tab 115 b. Tabs 115 a and 115 b extend around at least a portion of the perimeter of sphere 103. Mating surface 113 a has tab 115 a and mating surface 113 b has a tab 115 b. Tab 115 a extends around the outer perimeter of top portion 105 and is flush with an exterior surface 117 of top portion 105. Tab 115 b is located inside the outer perimeter of base portion 107 such that tab 115 b is fully located inside sphere 103 when sphere 103 is secured. It is understood that tab 115 a may also be configured in any other manner which would allow top portion and base portion to interlock when sphere 103 is secured. The purpose of tab 115 a is to prevent the slippage of top portion 105 and base portion 107. The precise location of tabs 115 a and 115 b are not herein limited to that described or illustrated. Either portion 105 and 107 may have tabs 115 a and 115 b.

Openings for internal cavities 109 a and 109 b are located in mating surfaces 113 a and 113 b. In the current embodiment, internal cavities 109 a and 109 b form matching, symmetrical patterns within top portion 105 and base portion 107. In other embodiments, internal cavities 109 a and 109 b may form asymmetrical patterns within mating surfaces 113 a and 113 b. It is understood that placement of slug 111 is alterable with no set pattern for which internal cavities 109 a and 109 b will contain slug 111. By altering the pattern or filled cavities within assembly 101, a user is able not only to affect the weight of the assembly as a whole but also to change the location of the center of gravity of the assembly. It is intended that the location or patterning of slugs 111 within cavities 109 a and 109 b are such as to maintain the center of gravity of the assembly at sphere center 139 (see FIG. 1).

Referring now also to FIG. 5, a top view of the top portion 105 is illustrated. To secure top portion 105 and bottom portion 107 to one another, assembly 101 may further include a fastener 127. Top portion 105 contains a bore 121 for the insertion of fastener 127. Assembly 101 includes a bore 121, a shaft channel 123, a threaded cavity 125, and fastener 127. It is understood that other embodiments may use different methods to secure sphere 103. Bore 121 is recessed into top portion 105 along a central axis 129. Bore 121 opens to the exterior of sphere 103 and to the interior of sphere 103 through the shaft channel 123. Bore 121 is recessed into top portion 105 to allow a head 131 to be flush with outer surface 117 of sphere 103. Shaft channel 123 extends from bore 121 through top portion 105, along central axis 129, through mating surface 113 a. Shaft channel 123 is tubular in shape and provides a space for a shaft 133 to translate into. Shaft channel 123 also provides a space for a threaded end 135, of fastener 127, to translate through so the threaded end 135 can communicate with threaded cavity 125. Shaft channel 123 has a smaller diameter than bore 121; which creates a lip 137 for head 131 to apply a force to when securing top portion 105 to base portion 107.

Threaded cavity 125 has an opening in mating surface 113 b and extends, along the center axis 129, into a portion of base portion 107. Threaded cavity 125 is threaded and configured to accept the threaded end 135 in an interference fit. Threaded cavity 125 allows threaded end 135 to apply a force against the base portion 107 when securing base portion 107 to top portion 105.

It is understood that fastener 127, which includes head 131, shaft 133 and threaded end 135, is used in this embodiment for demonstrative purposes. Different embodiments of assembly 101 could use different methods to secure sphere 103, including: portions 105 and 107 form an interference fit, magnetic attraction between a portion of both portions 105 and 107, and any other method which would allow the top portion 105 and base portion 107 to be secured together.

Mating surface 113 is composed of mating surface 113 a and mating surface 113 b. Mating surface 113 a corresponds to top portion 105 and mating surface 113 b corresponds to base portion 107. Mating surfaces 113 a and 113 b are not planer and interlock with each other to minimize slippage between top portion 105 and base portion 107 when sphere 103 is secured. It is understood that at least a portion of mating surface 113 a and mating surface 113 b will be in communication with each other when sphere 103 is secured.

Referring now also to FIGS. 6-9 in the drawings, assorted views an alternate embodiment of assembly 101 are illustrated. Assembly 201 is depicted in FIGS. 6-9. Assembly 201 is similar in form and function to that of assembly 101 except as herein noted. Like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements in form and function between assembly 101 and assembly 201. In this embodiment, assembly 201 is comprised of a sphere 203 with a top portion 205 and a base portion 207, and a slug tray 208.

Top portion 205 has an internal cavity 209 a. Base portion 207 has an internal cavity 209 b. It is understood that internal cavity 209 b is similar in form and function to internal cavity 209 a. Internal cavity 209 a has a retaining lip 241 a and a top interior surface 243 a. Base cavity 209 b has a retaining lip 241 b and a base interior surface 243 b. Retaining lip 241 a and 241 b are located around the perimeter of the internal cavity 209 a and 209 b, respectively. Retaining lip 241 a and 241 b are configured to elevate a slug tray 208 off top interior surface 243 a and base interior surface 243 b.

Slug tray 208 is configured to be selectively removable from internal cavity 209 a and 209 b. Slug tray 208 is configured with at least a tray cavity 210. It is understood that slug tray 208 can be configured with a different pattern of tray cavity 210, and that slug tray 208 can be exchanged for a slug tray 208 with a different pattern. Tray cavity 210 is similar in form and function to internal cavity 109 a. unlike internal cavity 109 a, tray cavity 210 is a cylinder without ends. Tray cavity 210 allows slug 111 to be in communication with at least one of the top interior surface 243 a and base interior surface 243 b.

Unlike assembly 101, assembly 201 does not have tab 115 on either top portion 205 or base portion 207. Instead, slug tray 208 and slug 111 prevent the slippage of top portion 205 and base portion 207.

A threaded insert 245 is a cylindrical component with internal threads. Threaded insert 245 is translated into threaded cavity 225 and allows fastener 127 to lock base portion 107 to top portion 105.

Referring now also to FIG. 10 a chart demonstrating the method for operation of the variable weight shot put assembly 101. The user opens the sphere to gain access to the internal cavity, step 301. It is understood that the sphere is configured with a plurality of internal cavities. The user is permitted to locate a slug in an internal cavity to set the desired weight of the assembly, step 303. The user is able to change the weight of the assembly by introducing additional slugs into neighboring cavities or by also interchanging/exchanging currently used slugs, step 305. The pattern of slugs may be arranged as desired by the user to maintain a desired weight distribution, step 307. In some embodiments, the assembly has at least one selectively removable slug tray which has at least one tray cavity where a slug may be placed, step 309. The user can change the total weight of the assembly by adding or exchanging slugs. The user wants the assembly to reflect the balance and feel of a shot-put used in competitions. Therefore, the user will ideally maintain the assembly's proper center of gravity when placing, or exchanging slugs in the assembly, step 311. The center of gravity for the assembly, like that of a shot put used in competition, is in the center of the sphere, equal distance from the exterior surface. Once the user has finished placement of the slugs, the user closes the sphere and engages a fastener to prevent the assembly from disassembling while in use, step 313.

The current application has many advantages over the prior art including at least the following: (1) the user needs to buy only one shot put assembly; (2) the shot put is appropriately sized for the user; and (3) the user has the ability to adjust the weight of the shot put assembly when desired.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the application may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. It is apparent that an application with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A variable weight shot put assembly, comprising: a sphere having a base portion and a top portion, the sphere configured to separate between the base portion and the top portion along a mating surface; an internal cavity located within the sphere in communication with the mating surface; a slug located in the internal cavity; and a fastener configured to secure the base portion and the top portion together.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the base portion and the top portion interlock along the mating surface.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the internal cavity is split between the base portion and the top portion thereby forming a base internal cavity in the base portion and a top internal cavity in the top portion.
 4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the base internal cavity and the top internal cavity are aligned when the sphere is secured.
 5. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the base internal cavity and the top internal cavity are offset when the sphere is secured.
 6. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a slug tray located in the internal cavity.
 7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the slug is housed within the slug tray.
 8. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the slug tray is interchangeable.
 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the slug is interchangeable.
 10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the slug placement centers the center of gravity within the sphere.
 11. A variable weight shot put assembly, comprising: a sphere having a base portion and a top portion the sphere configured to separate between the base portion and the top portion along a mating surface; a plurality of internal cavities in the base portion and in the top portion; a plurality of slugs configured to reside in the plurality of internal cavities; and a fastener configured to secure the base portion and the top portion together.
 12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of internal cavities form a symmetrical pattern around a center of the sphere.
 13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of slugs are aligned with and located in the plurality of internal cavities between both the top portion and the base portion.
 14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the placement of the plurality of slugs within the sphere is alterable so as to adjust the pattern.
 15. A method for using a variable weight shot put assembly, comprising: opening a sphere including at least one internal cavity, the sphere configured to separate along a mating surface between a top portion and a bottom portion, the at least one internal cavity having an opening along the mating surface; locating a one or more slugs in the at least one internal cavity; exchanging the one or more slugs to adjust the weight within the sphere; and securing the one or more slugs in the sphere through the use of a fastener in communication with the sphere.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: locating the one or more slugs in a slug tray.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: locating the slug tray in the internal cavity.
 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising: arranging the one or more slugs within the sphere in a selected pattern.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein arrangement of the one or more slugs maintains a center of gravity of the sphere about a center point of the sphere.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the one or more slugs are located in a separate cavity within the at least one internal cavity. 